Melanin is a dark brown or black pigment which is known to have ultraviolet-ray-absorbing and other properties.
Sepia melanin, extracted from the ink bags of cuttlefish, is known as a black pigment which is dispersed in a system and used in cosmetics in the same manner as carbon black and black iron oxide (Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 53211/80).
U.S. Pat. No. 4,961,754 discloses a powder prepared by modifying the surface of an inorganic powder with a synthetic melanin produced by an oxidative polymerization reaction of a compound having an indole skeleton, and cosmetics containing the powder.
Powders prepared by modifying the powder surface with a polymerized synthetic melanin are not suitable for use in cosmetics in respect of safety because of skin irritation due to residual low molecular weight compounds, free monomers and oxidizing catalysts such as potassium iodide and hydrogen peroxide from the synthesis process.
Further, sepia melanin is insoluble in acids or alkalis and is poorly soluble in solvents, which makes its separation and purification difficult, and thus it is not suitable for use in cosmetics, either.
It has been discovered that melanin adsorbed on a carrier can be used for adding color, particularly to cosmetics, as a flesh- or gray-colored pigment which differs from the color of melanin.